Lubricating means



Jan. 9, 1934. .1. M. MERROW LUBRICATING MEANS Filed June 1?, i932 [raven tar: cfosepivM Merrow 16M? flwfl His A fior'ne ys Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUBRICATING MEANS Application June 1'7, 1932. Serial No. 617,849

7 Claims.

This invention relates to lubricating means and is characterized by its especial adaption to sewing machines or other light mechanisms intended to be driven at high rates of speed. In United States Patents #441,315, of November 25, 1890, and #1,217,976, of March 6, 1917, granted to Joseph M. Merrow, there is illustrated and described sewing machine looper actuating mechanism wherein are associated, peripherally grooved cam cylinders, and a bodily movable multiple armed element pivoted upon a sliding block and bearing cam rolls, the latter being supported on studs extending from the arms and engaged by respective grooves in the cam cylinders.

The object of my invention is the provision of means and a form imparted to certain of parts associated therewith which will insure an adequate supply of lubricant to bearing surfaces.

Figure 1 is a front view in elevation showing part of the frame of a Merrow overseaming machine of the type shown in patents mentioned above.

Figure 2 is a sectional View on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing a removable frame cap and parts associated therewith including lubricating means which embody my invention.

Figure 3 is an inner face view of frame cap and associated parts shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a disassembled detail view in perspective of a cam roll and its supporting stud on a looper carrier arm.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of certain parts shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates the machine frame, in a hollow portion of which is enclosed mechanism with which parts embodying my invention may be associated advantageously. Stitch forming implements actuated by this mechanism comprise the curved eye pointed needle 2, upper looper 3, and lower looper 4. The loopers are operatively supported on the inner face of a removable frame cap 5 which is secured to the machine frame at top and bottom as by screws 6. Cam cylinders '7 and 8 housed within the machine frame are secured respectively to shafts 9 and 10 journaled in the frame, the shaft 9 comprising the main driving shaft of the machine. Intermeshing gears 11 and 12 are associated with the cam cylinders and with respective shafts 9 and 10 so that when the drive shaft is rotated the cam cylinders rotate in unison. The function of these cam cylinders is to actuate the loopers 3 and 4, and a driving relation between the cylinders and loopers may be established in a manner which will now be described. A carrier for lower looper 4 comprises a bodily movable block or slide 13 provided with a looper receiving socket 14 in which the looper may be held as by a set screw 15 engaging its shank. At the rear of slide 13 an extension 16 is provided, and through this, from the front of the slide, extends a bore 17 for reception and support of the hub of a looper carrier about to be described. Upper looper carrier 18 comprises a hub 19 from which extends looper carrying arm 20 and arms 21 and 22. Hub 19 is provided with a bore 23 transversely directed toward the axis of looper receiving socket 24 and at the bottom of the bore a set screw 25 is provided for securing the looper in its socket.

The free end of each of arms 21 and 22 terminates in a form which provides a shoulder as 26 at the base of a stud as 27 which is laterally extended from its respective arm to receive thereon a cam roll 28. For a purpose that will presently appear each arm where it forms a shoulder at the base of its respective stud 27 and at the side of the stud which is most remote from the axis of motion from which arms 21 and 22 extend is cut away to form an arcuate surface 29 substantially concentric with said axis and merged or flush with the periphery of the stud. As before stated hub 19 of upper looper carrier is formed to be pivotally supported iiv core 17 of slide 13 and with lower and upper looper carriers thus associated they are designed to be retained and supported by the frame cap in such a manner that the lower looper carrier may be moved in a rectilinear path together with the upper looper carrier while the latter may be simultaneously moved upon its pivotal axis. To guide slide 13 in its movement, ways are provided on the inner face of frame cap, 5, preferably by gibs 31 and 32. secured thereto and having adjacent edges thereof beveled to form a guideway to receive correspondingly beveled edges of the slide. Means for retaining the upper looper carrier in definite lateral relation to slide 13 are provided by a guide bar 33 having a foot 34 which is secured to the frame cap between the gibs as at 35. Required movement of looper carriers is imparted to them by grooves 36 and 3'7 formed of suitable contour respectively in cam cylinders '7 and 8. These grooves engage cam rolls 28 "on respective arms 21 and 22 of upper looper carrier and when the cams are rotated said carrier is both oscillatable upon its axis and reciprocated bodily, the path of its bodily movement being determined by the defined path of movement of lower looper carrier, which carrier, obviously, is also moved bodily by virtue of its association with upper looper carrier. Movement imparted to the loopers by described action of their carriers is correlated to the usual reciprocatory movement of the needle so that the several stitch forming implements cooperate in a manner common in production of overedge stitches.

Meansfor conducting lubricant to bearing surfaces for cam rolls 28, slide 13 and its bore, are.

associated with the inner face of the frame cap.

Such means for the upper cam roll comprises a fin 38 secured to frame cap as by. screws 39 and preferably having associated therewith a layer of felt 4G or other suitable-porousmaterial.

which when saturated with lubricant; will readily transfer a portion of it to a contiguousmoving surface such as arcuate surface 29.-of, arm 21. Flow of lubricant from a reservoir 41 formed by a bore in the frame cap may be controlled'by a valve 42 and conveyed to fin 38 and felt 40 through duct 43'. Also lubricant spattered upon fin 38 by moving parts of the machine will flow downwardly and become available for lubrication of the cam roll; An extended edge of both fin 38 and felt 40,, substantially in a plane as indicated at CD, Fig. 5, is provided to deliver lubricant to the extreme end of looper carrier arm 21 and' its cam roll28 at any point in the path thereof traversed in their range of movement. This may be more readily understood by reference to Fig. 5' wherein certain parts and their movements are represented'somewhat diagrammatically. I-Iere the reciprocating block or slide 13, which pivotally supports looper carrier 18, is indicated as movable through distance Aland while moving through this distance arms of looper carrier swing through respective arcs as, the one designated at B; Throughout its movement through this are some portion of arcuate surface 29 of arm 21 is tangent to a planerepresented by line C--D for the reason that said. arcuate surface is concentric to pivotal, axis of the, carrier. It follows that if a lower edge of the lubricant conducting fin 38 or felt40 extends through distanceEj'closely adjacent or contiguous to this line ofjtangency they willbe adapted at any pointtherealong to deliver lubricant to carrier roll bearing studf 2'7 and roll 28 and thereby to more certainly provide for adequate lubrication of the cam roll than when as heretofore a fin has been provided having only a point for lubricant delivery. In a, similar manner to. that described, for supplying lubricant to cam rollonarm. 21' provision is made for lubricating the cam roll on the. depending looper carrier arm 22. Means employed for, this purpose may comprise. a supporting block or trough 44 secured, to frame cap by screws as 45, and recessed to receive a strip: of lubricant conveying material as. wick. 46 which may be held against displacement as by pins'47. Lubricant supplied'to moving parts. above level of, block or trough 44 will flow by gravity into the recess in block and maintain saturation of wick 46 where it lies contiguous to the path of arcuate surface 29' of depending looper carrier arm 22.

For explanation of the illustrated arrangement for insuring a supply of lubricant to bearingsurfaces of slide 13, reference is againmadeto gib 31;which as mentionedforms one side of a guideway for the'slide. The outer face of'gib-3-1is-ex posed to drainage of lubricant from parts above and also to lubricant spattered' thereon from moving elements. In order to collect a considerable portion of this available lubricant for delivery to slide 13 a downwardly inclined groove 48 is formed in the face of the gib intermediate its ends. From the bottom of this groove a series of ducts 49 is formed leading to upper wall of guideway and serving to convey an ample supply of'lubricant thereto. In a similar manner guide bar 33 is provided with a lubricant receiving groove 50 from which ducts as 51 are extended to convey lubricant to contiguous surfaces of guide bar and looper carrier 18.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is,

l. Mechanism including in combination, a stationary support, a carrier movably associated with the support, an-element pivotally associated with thecarrier, said element having a stud asso ciated therewith at an extremity of the element whichterminates in an arcuate surface concentric to the pivotal axis of the element, whereby saidsurfacenin any position thereof established by movement of the carrier on its support or movement of the element upon its axis, remains tangent'to a definite plane, and means for supplying lubricant to the arcuate surface at different points-in the-plane to which said surface may become tangent;

2. Mechanism including in combination, a stationary support, a carrier movably associated-with the support, an element pivotally associated with the carrier, a stud associated with the element adjacent an arcuate surface of the latterwhich merges with' the peripheral surface of the stud and which is concentric to the pivotal axis of V the element, whereby said surface, in any position thereof established by movement of the carrier on its support or movement of the element upon its axis, remains tangent to a definite plane, and means for supplying lubricant to the arcuate surface at different points in the plane to which said surface may become tangent.

3. Mechanism including in combination, a stationary support, a carrier movably associated with the support, anelementpivotally associated with the carrier, said'element having a stud associated therewith at an extremity of the element which terminates in an arcuate surface concentric to. the. pivotal axis of the element, whereby said surface, in any position'thereof established by movement of the carrier on its support or movement of the element upon its axis, remains tangent to a definite plane, and a lubricant conveyer associated with the support and extending into substantial'coincidence with the plane at different points therein with which the arcuate surface may become tangent.

4; Mechanism'including in combination, a sta tionary support, a carrier movably associated with the support, an element'pivotally associated with the carrier, said element having studs assoincidencewith a definite'plane at different points therein with'which an arcuate surface of the pivotal element may become tangent.

5-. Mechanism including in combination, a stationary-support, a carriermovably associated with the support, an element pivotally associated with the carrier, a stud associated with the element adjacent an arcuate surface of the latter which is concentric to the pivotal axis of the element, whereby said surface, in any position thereof established by movement of the carrier on its support or movement of the element upon its axis, remains tangent to a definite plane, and porous material extended and supported in subsantial coincidence with said plane for conducting lubricant to the arcuate surface throughout its range of movement.

6. A looper carrier formed for movable support about an axis and including an arm for carrying a looper, arms extended from said axis, and a bearing stud extended from each arm, said arms terminating in respective arcuate surfaces concentric to said axis.

7. Mechanism including in combination, a stationary support, a carrier movably associated with the support, an element pivotally associated with the support, said element having a stud associated therewith at an extremity of the element which terminates in an arcuate surface substantially concentric to the pivotal axis of the element, whereby said surface, in any position thereof established by movement of the carrier upon its support or movement of the element upon its axis, remains tangent to a definite plane, and a fin having an edge substantially coincident with said plane for conducting lubricant to the arcuate surface throughout its range of movement.

JOSEPH M. MERROW. 

